Those Chosen By the Planet
by Ceara Ivory
Summary: Nothing is as it seems is the lesson to be learned here. Good Guys are Bad Guys, Bad Guys are Good Guys. It's so confusing. Annaliese is the daughter of Shinra and wife of Sephiroth. Airlia is a good friend of her family. Who summons Meteor? Who summons Holy? Who are we supposed to root for? Click and Read. Warning OCxSephiroth pairing. Game 1 canon Only. Reviews appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. This is a collaboration between Asirainis and myself. This will have no reference to any sequel or prequel in the Compilation. Game 1 Canon only.

Those Chosen By The Planet

Disc 1 Part 1: Life Or Death

Airlia struggled to try and find a reason to go to the fruit merchant, going so far as to spill the fruit into the trash 'accidentally.' Knowing what she knew, the broken brunette had to try and get word to her ally. The woman she knew only by the name Annaliese. The name had been familiar, but it was as if it were out of a dream. She knew when she spilled the fruit, she would be beaten. But it was a minor price to pay to get word out to save thousands.

The dark look Barret gave her spoke that her punishment would come much later as he shoved a bag of coins into her hand and told her to hurry back. That she only had fifteen minutes to get the fruit, an attempt to keep communications out of existence.

So she hurried, running with the coveted message in her pocket, coins in her hand to the familiar vendor. He looked at the brunette perplexed. "My you just got fruit the other day. Did you go through it all already?"

Airlia handed him coin for the needed items, slipping the note into his hand when he passed her the bag. He frowned, this had to be bad, whatever she was trying to tell him as she fled the market before he could read or even react. She made it back in just under the required time as she put the fruit back where it belonged. She would prefer death to her meager existence, but she never took her own life. A small part of her hoped beyond hope that someone would still rescue her. But it would have to be their doing, not hers to run because they would find a way to grab her and do worse than they already had.

* * *

The vendor immediately placed a "Back in 15 minutes" sign on the stand and boxed up his goods so as to keep thieves from rendering him penniless. He went to the nearby materia shop. "A message for the shop owner. I need three Fire materia."

The employee took the message. "I will deliver your order in twenty minutes. Standby."

The vendor nodded. He returned to his shop as if he was just waiting for his order and going about his business.

The Materia seller hurried from his position to his own boss. A bald man wearing a suit. "Urgent message, 3 fire."

Rude took the paper and made haste back to Shinra HQ. He needed to find his charge and her father.

He didn't have to look too long as he could hear jovial laughter from inside the head office. "Sephy, Grandpa's too old for this."

Rude went in and was instantly set upon by a little child who looked exactly like his father. Right down to the green-blue eyes with the mako glow and his silver hair, though his mother kept it neatly in a small ponytail. He brushed the boy off, trying not to be too abrupt, and President Shinra retrieved his grandson.

His mother sat at her father's desk poring over the business side of things. She looked up at him. Her own black hair was kept in a neat bun on top of her head. A pair of silver reading glasses sat on her nose.

"Message," he said simply, a man of few words. "Three fire."

Annaliese Shinra took the message and looked it over. "Father mobilize SOLDIER immediately to Sector 1, plate and slums. Evacuate everyone in the area."

President Shinra put Sephy down. "Rude, take the boy to the playground."

Rude groaned. He hated babysitting. However, arguing would take more speaking than he was prepared for. "Yes President. Come brat." He meant the term in the nicest possible way of course.

Shinra waited until the boy was out of earshot and went to his daughter's side. "What is it?"

"A message from my informant. Avalanche is planning to blow up the reactor in that sector. You could possibly save the reactor, but that might endanger my contact. It's better to just get the people out and away from the reactor," she rationalized.

President Shinra normally didn't take orders from anyone, but his daughter was a different matter. She was training with her brother to one day run the company and protect the populace. She knew what she was doing. He dialed his phone. "Heidegger, Reeve, Sector 1. Evacuate all. Emergency Level Red." He hung up the phone. He knew he didn't need to tell them more than that. "That Avalanche is becoming a danger to everyone. I think I might need to consider the End Game after all."

Anna frowned. "The End Game, Father?"

"Yes, now don't take this the wrong way. I hope it's not necessary but I have my own contacts and most of them are telling me they are willing if not eager to do this. The head of contacts has been instructed to place charges on the pillar of Sector Seven, where their base is," Shinra explained.

* * *

Airlia frowned as she saw the edge of the brunette come into her periphery with an unknown man. _Would he be like Wedge and Biggs?_ She pushed herself to go to the basement while the 'men and women' talked as Barret put it. It wasn't long after she was first grabbed that she found out the basement was sound proof. Wedge was there with Biggs as they beat her for the careless waste of fruit and having to spend extra gil so soon. They always made sure since the two women had come into the company that it was never where it would be visible, and never bleed. But most times, bruised ribs and welts on the gut and back never showed through her dreary clothing.

However, Barret came down to retrieve the two men, satisfied with her punishment before they were brought upstairs to learn of the necessary information to infiltrate the reactor and destroy it.

All Airlia's thought process was… _Please… please… Annaliese, save those poor souls in that sector. I can hold on a little longer for rescue, but their clock is now starting to wind down…_

* * *

"You want to what!" Anna shouted. "Father, no!" She couldn't believe the extreme plan she was hearing. "Destroying an entire sector of people. Some of them are our own placed there to get information!"

Shinra sighed as he reclaimed his seat. "I know my dear. But...I must ask myself, what is better? A few lives or a hundred or a thousand? These people are like a nest of hornets. We must act to crush them and now. Or the lives lost in the future will be much more significant."

Anna thought about what her father was saying. She could understand his logic but she just couldn't let go of the hope that this could be settled peacefully. "Father...I understand. But give me a chance. I think I can do this."

Shinra frowned up at her. He didn't like where this was going one bit. "A chance to do what?"

"I will go down to the Sector Seven slums to meet with their leader. I will negotiate peace," she stated simply.

Shinra was on his feet in an instant. "Oh no you won't. I will **not** have my daughter in that danger!"

Annaliese hugged her father to calm him down. "I'll be okay Daddy." She hadn't called him 'Daddy' in such a long time. "My contact tells me that Mr Wallace is a parent too and his daughter is Sephy's age. Surely he's just a man desperate to give his daughter a better life. Please Daddy?"

Shinra sighed. When she used the words 'Please Daddy' that was it. "Alright...but I want you to be careful. You are to take your sidearm and Rude with you. You have my permission to offer him whatever you feel is appropriate. Do **not** tell him of the bombs on the pillar."

Annaliese squealed and hugged her father close. "Yes Daddy, I will be be careful."

* * *

Airlia sighed internally as she nursed her wounds in quiet while Marlene ran the bar. She hated watching the child doing it, but it was Barret's orders. Tifa oddly enough had never tried to make contact with her, to find out her story. The brunette had been sitting on the step of the bar while news came over the television about the bombing.

Holding her breath, she listened for the death toll, and was amazed that it was relatively low. _They had gotten my message! Thank the heavens above!_ However, her relief was masked by her anxiety about Barret's reaction to there not being more who should have died. And yet, as a familiar set of feet approached the bar with a smaller familiar set of feet - Airlia held her breath. _Why did you come Annaliese? Why did you bring your son? It's too dangerous!_

Anna entered the bar, carefully holding her son's hand tightly in her own. She sat down at a table. When a little girl with brown hair came over to the table, she was a little confused.

"May I help you?" the little girl asked.

Anna frowned. "Are you the waitress?"

The little girl shrugged. "I help here sometimes. Would you like something to drink?"

Anna breathed in sharply through her nose, an indication that she was not pleased. "I would like to speak to an adult."

A young woman with a large bust came down the stairs. "Marlene, do we have guests? What can I get for you today?"

"I would like to speak with this child's parents. Honestly, letting a little girl run a bar." Anna snapped.

Tifa shrugged. "She is in my care for the time being. She just helps with the glasses and things. She doesn't touch the alcohol." She lied on Barrett's insistence.

Anna frowned, "Somehow I have my doubts about her not touching the alcohol, but that is neither here nor there. I'm here with regards to making a deal on behalf of Shinra with Avalanche. To stop this violence, these needless deaths."

Tifa frowned, "I thought you looked familiar! You're the Shinra Princess!" Looking around, she saw the small boy and started putting things together. However, before she could continue Cloud walked back in through the door with Barret, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge. Anna didn't miss the tension that suddenly filled the room when the last two men came in.

Cloud smiled when he saw his long time friend, "Anna! Wow it's been too long. We'll have to catch up sometime. I suspect you're here for other reasons though." The blond smiled as he sat next to his friend.

Anna nodded curtly, "I would be happy to see you, but not in these circumstances Cloud. I'm here to make a proposition with the leader of Avalanche. I know he is here."

The tall dark skinned man with a gun arm on his right hand frowned. "That'd be me. The hell do you want Shinra Princess?"

Frowning, she continued. "I'm here to negotiate a cease fire between Shinra and Avalanche. I want you to stop your bombings immediately before needless lives are lost. I also want you to release any prisoners of war."

Cloud blinked. "Wait, you're taking prisoners Barret? This is not what I signed up for. Mrs. Shinra, what are your terms? I think he should regard it in all seriousness."

Tifa frowned, something was wrong. However, Anna pushed forward. "I'm prepared to offer you amnesty from previous crimes, tuition for Marlene. Wouldn't that be enough to make you stop?"

Cloud frowned, "That's more than reasonable terms Barret. Time to give it up."

The dark skinned man spat, he knew who the mole was now. "They're fucking killing the planet Cloud. I'm not giving in to ease my conscience. Now Shinra Princess, you're coming with me to the fifth reactor. Cloud, Tifa, both of you are comin' with me. Let's go and deal with the Shinra for once and for all! The kids will remain here, where they will be safe while we do our mission."

Anna frowned deeply. "Mr Wallace don't do this. Don't play this game because I promise you will lose."

Barret frowned as he whispered in warning, "No - you will lose Shinra Princess. However, if you play nice your son will not see any rough handling."

Anna would not play by his rules. "Mr Wallace, you are already in enough trouble for leaving your five year old to tend a bar. Don't press. I'm offering you a 250,000 gil a month salary. A place on Shinra's board of researchers. You claim we're destroying the planet. We're trying to find sustainable energy. Join us and help since you seem to know so much about it. I know you could be a valuable asset. This salary is in addition to a place for your daughter in the same school I went to. Based in Junon, this is the top, the TOP, academy in the world. This school offers scholarships for the children of our researchers. Think of her future. Think of yours. You want to help the planet? Here's your chance."

Barret scoffed at it, "You're just buying me off to make us stop looking at the planet and to simply watch it die. No deal."

Anna threw him a file containing the schematics of Junon's water-power. "Junon has already been upgraded to Hydro-Power for a long time. Rocket Town is on wind power. Neither of these cities use mako any longer. We are trying to find other sources of energy. I think you need to ask yourself. What happens to Marlene if you were to die in one of your raids? No, this isn't a threat. It's a distinct possibility. My son never knew his father. I don't want to see another child lose her parents." She attempted to reason with the man.

Barret frowned. They looked legitimate, but it's easy enough to make something 'look' real. "No deal. I would have heard about Junon being converted to hydropower. And Rocket Town is out in the middle of no where. There's no reason for Shinra to merely do this. They love to do nothing more than suck the life out of our world. And if you threaten my child again, Shinra Princess, you will wish you hadn't."

"What rock are you living under!" she shouted. "I'm not threatening you or your child. You're using bombs. Bombs have a tendency to go BOOM. When they do, can you deny that people get hurt?"

Cloud laughed. "She's got a point Barret. Bombs go boom, and this is generally followed by pieces of the body breaking away."

Barret shot Cloud a dirty look. "We always make sure we're well clear before it goes boom. And anyone who is caught in the crossfire is usually a member of Shinra. So it's a two fold win for me. Now either you're in Cloud or you're out. Take your pick but choose carefully. Accidents do happen you know."

Anna agreed. "You're right. Accidents do happen. And what about the innocent people who are hurt. The ones with no ties to Shinra? What about the hospitals left without power because now there's no reactor to keep them running? What if you misjudge the time you need to escape? What if the bomb malfunctions and YOU'RE caught in the explosion. I ask again, what happens to Marlene?" She felt heat behind her eyes as she remembered the night she was informed of Sephiroth's death. "Don't do that to her. I beg of you? Don't even risk it. She deserves better."

Barret shook his head, getting angry. "I warned you to not bring Marlene into this! Now, we're going to go to the reactor. Jessie has the information we need for the next site and we will be blowing it up. This time, you will be coming with us to ensure that Shinra stays the hell out of this! Biggs, you stay behind and keep an eye on that brat of hers. Make sure he's a good boy and stays here."

Anna knew she had failed to save these people. Cloud stood up. "Barret wait, she's Shinra's daughter. You need to consider the possible repercussions involved." He looked at the obviously upset woman.

She looked at him. "I tried Cloud. I tried…"

* * *

Rude knew something had gone horribly awry when Annaliese was led out of the bar and towards the train station with the terrorists. He made to follow but saw quickly the number behind her back, hidden in her very fingers.

He called the President. "Yes Sir. Sector Five. They have her."

* * *

Airlia frowned when she saw the group being led out. She knew she couldn't have helped Annaliese at the moment, but she could help in other means with getting her child to safety. Grabbing a pitcher that was of heavy glass, she closed her eyes as she acted like she was filling it with water. However, the moment when Biggs turned his back to watch the children, she clocked him with it. Grabbing Sephy's hand and Marlene's, she hoisted them into her arms with surprising ease as she ran. She knew that Avalanche would be on her in minutes, but she had to do it. She had to save them.

Fleeing, she saw a man in dark blue who had no hair, but dark sunglasses. Sephy's excited squeal came into her ear. "It's Uncle Rude! He can take me to see grandpa!"

Airlia nodded, "That's the plan little guy."

Running to him, she quickly pushed the children into his arms. "Go! Get them out of here! Take him to see his grandpa!"

Rude looked torn, he wanted to get the girl out too, it was apparent that she was the informant. But she quickly answered for him, "There's no time. Go!"

He took off with the children as she turned fatalistically towards the people running at her. "At least they're safe. I did all I could Annaliese."

* * *

AN: ::plays Soap-Opera music:: Will Annaliese be able to get away from Barret? Will Airlia survive her selfless act? Will Barret get a clue? Will Cloud still get to dress up like a girl for Corneo? Find out next time on Those Chosen By the Planet. ::Soap Opera Music::


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. This is a collaboration between Ceara Ivory and myself.

Those Chosen By The Planet

Disc 1 Part 2: Reunited Again

Anna sat quietly on the train. How had she misjudged this man so badly? She'd thought he was simply a father trying to make the world a better place. Instead he was just insane. Hopefully Rude would be able to rescue her son, Marlene, and her informant.

"Well, this is some reunion," Cloud said as he sat beside her. "How have you been?"

"You mean, not counting this? I've been...okay...I have Sephy," she said as though that solved everything.

Tifa pondered. "Sephy? You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he looks like…"

Anna smiled a little. "His father, yeah, we get that a lot. He and his father are practically mirror images."

Tifa cocked her head. "His father….who is he?" She was hoping NOT to hear the name she suspected.

"Sephiroth...General of SOLDIER. He died five years ago in a reactor malfunction. Shortly before I could tell him he was going to be a daddy," A sad smile punctuated this.

Tifa gaped. "Reactor Malfunction?" She forced a strange sort of grin. "That's unfortunate. What happened? Exactly?"

Anna waved her hand. "Oh, he was assigned to what should have been routine maintenance at the Nibelheim Reactor. Something went wrong and the reactor exploded, burning the entire village to the ground. Sephiroth and his best friend Zack died trying to save everyone.

Tifa felt the vestiges of her control close to snapping but Cloud clapped a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" He dragged her over to the computer that Jesse had shown him earlier. "Don't tell her what really happened."

Tifa whispered angrily. "But I have to! Saying Sephiroth died SAVING people! He's a killer!"

"Does she need to remember him that way?" Cloud said. "She's my friend Tifa. Telling her this truth can only hurt her more. Don't. She's a nice enough girl."

* * *

Rude ran back to the helicopter, not letting the kids turn around to see the young woman. He hadn't gotten a good look at her, but something was familiar. Frighteningly so. When he reached the helicopter, he screamed, 'Go." Taking off to the air, he caught sight of the young woman being beaten as his heart fell into his stomach. Promising himself to return to help her, he had to get her out of there. Alive… He refused to acknowledge the likely event that she would be dead. For the sake of the children, he couldn't even think of her as being dead.

Sephy however, was seemingly unaware of what was going on around him."I can't wait to see Mommy and Grandpa again! I can't wait for Marlene to meet Grandpa too! He's awesome, and lets me play horsey with him sometimes!"

Marlene turned worried eyes to Rude, "What about the nice lady? Will you get her back?"

Rude nodded with a smile that he hoped didn't convey his worry, "We will."

Nodding, she remained quiet for the helicopter ride as he got on the phone. "Mr. President, Sephy and his little friend are with me. Requesting permission to go back to Sector Seven after I bring them back to headquarters." It was the most he had ever spoken, but it was necessary.

* * *

Airlia was grateful that the kids were out. Marlene wouldn't grow to be like Barret. Bracing herself, she wasn't let down when the first of probably many, punches came to her gut, rendering her breathless. At least they're free. That's all that matters to me now.

* * *

When Cloud and Tifa returned, they were silent as the ride came to a slow close. Barret growled as he had Wedge grab Anna. "I finally have a use for you. You are going to allow us to move past each security checkpoint safely. Understand?"

"As long as you promise to remember that I tried reasoning with you," She ground out.

Cloud looked at Barret. "Barret, are you sure about this? She IS Shinra's daughter."

"That's why this is perfect. We'll use her as bait and kill her and Shinra at the same time," Barret rationalized his plan.

Anna laughed sadistically almost. "You're insane, Mr Wallace. You won't succeed. The sly eagle does not kill at a whim." She remember Sephiroth's quiet rage. "Just know, you've signed your own death certificate with this plan."

Barret scoffed. "If you will remember, your son is in my bar Princess."

Anna glared at him angrily, "You dare harm one hair on his head and I swear you won't be able to blink before you die. So leave my son out of this."

Cloud on the other hand was starting to have enough. "Barret, he's a kid. You leave him alone. He can't hurt anyone as he is."

Tifa had to blink at that matter, "Barret, that's too far. You leave the kid alone, regardless of who his father and mother is. Understand me?"

Frowning, Barret knew he was losing supporters and had to react fast. The rest of the walk was silent with the exception of Anna fuming and Cloud trying to figure out how he was going to save his friends. When they reached the reactor, he set up the bombs before setting up the scene to kill Anna. He tied her up at the Reactor and started walking away, not noticing Cloud remained behind.

Quickly untying her, the pair hurried to the edge of the reactor room to watch for Barret as their clock ticked down. Seeing the edge of the Shinra helicopter Cloud took his chances as he took Anna's hand, "Stay close Anna. I'm gonna get us out of here! Then we'll get your son out of that bar!"

Running outside, they saw President Shinra with Tseng as they were trading words. "You release my daughter right now and maybe you'll walk out of this alive Barret!"

Barret scoffed, "I still have one more card to play! I have your grandson you old bastard! Let us go or he will die!"

President Shinra saw red even as Tseng noticed Anna and sighed softly. "Blow him up, then he can't hurt my grandson!"

However, before he could give the official order, his phone rang. "Grandpa?"

His blood cooled instantly. "Sephy? Thank god you're safe. Where are you?"

The voice responded on the phone, "With Uncle Rude, going back home to wait for you and mommy. Grandfather, Marlene wants to say something if you're with the big bad man."

Solomon smiled as he responded, "Of course Sephy, put her on and I'll put her on speaker phone."

Pushing a button, a soft female voice came over the phone. "Papa? I'm with the Shinra now. Please papa, come home!"

Barret sputtered angrily as he looked over to see Anna coming out, relief palpable on her face. "Father! Sephy, he's safe?"

Shinra nodded, "Yes Anna, now come, let's go home. We have a hornet nest to extinguish!"

But before that could happen, Barret aimed his gun right at Anna. "Prepare to die you bitch! This is for Marlene!"

Tseng frowned as he hit a button, intending to cause a diversion to blow up the bridge, to make the man run away. However, it had an impact that he had wished hadn't happened. The bridge became unstable as Anna and Cloud fell below into the sector below the plate. However he also knew who Cloud was and that Anna would be relatively unharmed since he was with her.

* * *

Meanwhile, up far north, in the bowels of a giant crater, Sephiroth practiced with his sword and the incredible powers he had uncovered that fateful day at Nibelheim. He had wanted to return to his wife as soon as he'd woken from his fall off the reactor but Mother had insisted he needed to train his powers lest he hurt her in the same way he burned Nibelheim.

"You are doing quite well son," The alien woman told him as she supervised his training.

He sheathed his sword, panting. "Then soon I will be able to return home to my wife." How he missed her but he knew Mother was right.

The woman grit her teeth but nodded. "Yes, soon. First we must prepare for the Cetra."

Sephiroth climbed to the top edge of the crater and looked in the direction of Midgar. He had many reasons to stay and train here. Suddenly, he felt a punch in the gut. "Ugh…"

"What is it son," Jenova asked as he returned below. "You seem to be pained. Did you pull a muscle?"

Sephiroth groaned. "No...Mother I know I'm not ready yet. But I just know I have to go back now. She's in danger."

Jenova bit the inside of her cheek. "Fine, but as soon as her safety is assured, you must return to finish your training. The newest Cetra is coming close to discovering her true path."

Sephiroth bowed. "Yes Mother. Maybe I should bring her here with me. Where she'll be safe?"

Jenova raised her hand. "She will be safer away from you until your powers are completely under your control and the Cetra are dealt with. Until then, being with you will make her a target."

Sephiroth sighed. He was working hard to control his powers and wanted his wife to be safe but at the same time, he missed her so much. He wanted to be with her and start their family finally. "Yes Mother." He hurried out of the Crater. He had to hurry.

Jenova watched him leave. She didn't like denying him his wife but what if her suspicions were right?

* * *

Anna's head was splitting open it felt like as she regained consciousness. She felt something odd beneath her. It felt...squishy…

"Are you alright?" A voice asked. Anna looked up as she rolled off of whatever she was on top of. She saw Cloud beside her, still unconscious. She looked at the source of the voice.

"Aeris?" Anna asked, recognizing the girl she hadn't seen since her wedding almost ten years ago.

Aeris gasped as she also recognized the other woman. "Anna?"

Anna smiled and got up. "Aeris!" She hugged the woman in the pink dress. "It's so good to see you!"

Aeris froze, this woman, she was the daughter of someone she had been forced to fear. And yet it felt so good to see her as she embraced the woman in return. Anna detected the freeze in the other woman. "What's wrong?"

Aeris shook her head, "Putting old fears out of my head. You know how mother is."

Anna nodded with a sad, yet knowing smile. "So...um...how are you. We kind of lost touch after the wedding…"

Aeris shrugged. "I've been alright. Hey...um...how are things with you?"

Anna shrugged back. "Well, I'm a mom now. Found out I was pregnant just a few days before…." She trailed off. "He looks just like his dad."

The reconnection was interrupted when Cloud groaned back into consciousness. He rolled over and looked at the hole they fell through. "Uhhh…"

Both women turned to Cloud as he tried to sit up, but Anna stilled him. "You shielded me from injury Cloud. You might have a concussion. So relax for a few minutes until things stop spinning."

He would have nodded, but that would involve him moving his head, not such a good idea at the moment. However, the doors to the chapel opened as a man in a dark blue suit and white shirt came in. His fire red hair and sloppy shirt told Anna who the man was. "Reno! What are you doing here?"

Reno stared at the girl with astonishment. "Ms. Annaliese! Thank the ancients!" He grabbed his cell phone and dialed. "President, good news, your daughter is fine! Yes, I've found her. She's with the Ancient. Yes sir, I'll bring her home. Yes, her and the Ancient both." He hung up the phone. "What happened!"

Anna grinned. "I fell off a reactor what do you think?"

Reno shook his head, "Ms. Annaliese! You need to be more careful of your well being. With Sephy and Marlene being safe, it is time for you to come home. I'd like for your friends to come with us too. Mr. President is concerned about the young woman who helped them to flee and they're on their way to find her."

Anna gaped, "I do hope she's okay. By the way, tell Father to go easy on Cloud. He saved my life."

Reno looked the injured spiky headed kid. "At least one of those rats had some honor."

Anna nodded. "He's a good kid. He was in that group that went to Nibelheim...I'm surprised he's still alive. Father said...but maybe he made a mistake. Maybe not everyone was killed."

Reno looked at her. He could practically hear what she was thinking. "He's dead, Ms Annaliese. Fooling yourself into thinking otherwise will just hurt you later."

The woman turned towards her friend. "Aeris, come with me. You can meet my son." She invited. "We can have tea." She suggested awkwardly, not wanting to discuss the death of her husband.

* * *

Barret was still steaming from the loss of the Shinra bitch. He had wanted to kill her to destroy her father, perhaps ending with him taking his life. Now… now he had to regroup as he pushed through people to hurry on ahead. He phoned the bar. "Orders direct from me. Don't kill the bitch, she's mine."

Hanging up his cell, he hurried back to the train, to sector seven…

* * *

Solomon had barely arrived back to the headquarters, had barely sat down before his phone rang from Reno. However, only moments after the call had ended, his son burst through the doors hell bent on finding out what was going on.

Rufus growled as his fist slammed onto his father's desk. He was beyond angry. "What do you mean my sister's missing father?! What the fuck happened out there?!" He had been against her going to the slums to try and negotiate, but now it went beyond south.

Sephy ran in – hearing the angry words coming from his uncle in the other room unsettled him. "Uncle, aren't you going to go with momma to help the nice lady who got Marlene and I back to grandpa so she can join us?"

Rufus frowned, he didn't know of any nice lady as he turned a questioning glance to his father. "Sephy, could you wait outside for a moment? I promise we're going to help the nice lady. I just need some minor details from your grandfather."

The boy nodded before wandering off to see Marlene. Soon as the door was shut, he turned to his father. "Nice lady? What is he going on about father?"

The elder Shinra ran a hand through the remains of his hair, "Apparently a young woman who wouldn't look at Rude gave the kids to him and said to run, not to look back. She remained behind though."

Rufus paled, "What in the world! She remained behind? Fuck we have to save her or she will be dead in the next few hours by the hands of the terrorists. I'm going myself with two Turks and a handful of soldiers. Dark Nation will be with me to help in case I need it. I'm going to bring Anna back and hopefully locate this lady that selflessly protected my nephew."

He stormed out of the room, Tseng following him closely as did Rude. "We're going after the young woman who helped Sephy Rude. What did she look like?"

The man shook his head before trying to remember exactly what he saw, "I didn't get a good look at her sir, all I know is she's a tiny frame with dark brown hair. Her eyes though… she kept them averted, and I can't help but wonder why."

Rufus stilled ever just in his step before he began running. It couldn't be… after all this time… it just couldn't be.

* * *

Airlia groaned as she felt fire racing through her whole body. She wasn't sure about broken bones, but someone might just as well kill her to put her out of the misery she's in.

Struggling to pull herself up, she found it remarkably easy to bare the strikes knowing that the children were safe and no longer pawns to be used by Barret. However, the strikes lessened which worried her in a way as she heard someone stomping over to her… She didn't have to look up to know it was him… The growl, and his attire was enough. "You dare to give those two kids to Shinra?! You're as good as dead… just like that Shinra Princess already is!" He picked her up by her hair before tossing her unceremoniously over his shoulder to dump on the step of one resident scumbag of the slums. Don Corneo.

He walked up to the door, over in the next sector as he slammed his gun arm against the door mightily. When the door opened, he was greeted by a short fat man with only a section of blond hair that was combed to try and hide the fact he was otherwise bald. A heart was tattooed next to it as he held a martini in his hand. "Why Barret, what brings you to my humble home?"

Barret gave him a dirty smirk, "I want you to deal with her the best way you can Corneo. Here's some money to pretend that she doesn't exist to the Shinra. Am I understood?"

Dumping her on the ground, she crumpled in pain as he deposited a hefty bag of coins next to her. Corneo grinned, his eyes gleaming as he nodded. "Of course. I'll deal with her right away. Any preferences in my methods?"

Barret grinned maliciously, "As painful and as long as you can make it last before she dies Corneo." He walked away as Corneo bent over to grab her chin.

"Marvelous simply marvelous. I've been looking for a wife and you'll do just fine. I'll have to break you in of course." He said as he grabbed the coin with one hand, her neck with the other as he dragged her towards his basement.

Unaware of her surroundings as pain hazed her view, she was suddenly all too aware of being strapped down to something as she screamed for help. He slapped her harshly as he took in her form. "These clothes won't do on you at all. No. You shall live here until you are broken in, you shall be bare before me at all times!"

* * *

Reno hurried the group towards Sector Seven where Cloud took point, even though he was still winded from the fall and protecting his friend. When they found nothing, he frowned. Reno saw the tracks amongst the dirt and the blood. Shit, this girl is in real trouble judging by the amount. Turning his head to look towards the direction of the blood being dragged, he sighed in relief. "Ms. Annaliese, your brother's there."

Anna nodded as she broke into a run, "Rufus, brother!" She couldn't bear to tell him it was Airlia in trouble. She hadn't seen the girl's eyes, but everything in the demeanor said it had to be her.

"Anna! Thank god you're safe!" He embraced his sister tightly who looked about worriedly.

"Rufus? What are you doing here brother?" She quipped as he studied Cloud.

"We were looking for you and for your son's mysterious rescuer. Seems she was taken elsewhere after being beaten given the blood here." Rufus said as she nodded.

"I was afraid of that. Damn Barret, I'm going to kill him when it's over." Anna muttered as Rufus nodded.

However another voice interjected, "Cloud? What are you doing with Shinra?"

Anna saw the busty brunette and frowned. "We're getting our friend back! Get the hell out of my way Ms. Lockheart!"

Tifa shook her head, "No I told Barret to shove it and himself. I need to find that girl before he does anything stupid. My worry is if he came here, did he go to Corneo. Biggest scum bucket in Sector Six."

Rufus didn't need to hear any more as he saw the blood stop up ahead. Running to the door, the others on his heels as he forced the doors open to hear a scream… a very frightened one at that. Grabbing his rifle, he pulled it from his coat and followed the sounds to a door leading somewhere as Anna spoke angrily. "That's his basement. Rufus, be ready for anything." She slipped off her coat, afraid of what the poor girl was going to need.

Opening the door, he saw that Corneo was in the process of ripping her loose shirt open as he fired a warning shot. Inches from his head yet missing the lady entirely. "You make one more move Corneo. One more. And I will kill you." They hurried down as the guards took Corneo into custody and held Tifa in custody. He tried to put a hand on the girl's shoulder and she screamed like she was being stabbed.

Anna hurried over to her, "Rufus, back up. I don't think she means you personally. But she needs a lot of help. Immediately."

Releasing her from the bonds, Anna ran a gentle hand over the girl's matted hair. "Poor dear. It's okay, you're safe now. No one is going to touch you ever again. I promise."

Seeing the blood along her abdomen worried the obsidian haired woman. "What did those bastards do to you huh?"

Rufus handed her his coat, "Give that to her, I have a feeling we're going to need to rush her to Shinra. Knowing the Turks, they have our way out just beyond here with a helicopter."

Anna nodded as she helped the maiden up and put the coat around her. She knew who the girl was, but she had to get her to admit it first. This is going to take a while…

* * *

AN: Will Rufus be able to help Airlia? What are Jenova and Sephiroth working on? Find out next time. REVIEW PLEASE


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This story is based on Final Fantasy VII, the original game released in 1997. It will draw no inspiration or even reference the sequels and prequels. Final Fantasy VII and its characters and settings belong to Hironobu Sakaguchi and Square Enix.

Those Chosen By The Planet

Disc 1 Part 3: Scars

Once they were safely ensconced in the helicopter, the girl began to become aware of her new surroundings as the pain and fear filled haze began to fade. Rufus looked at her, and once he saw her eyes he blinked as his heart beat harder in his chest. "It can't be… It simply can't be!" Anna nodded with a silence motion as the girl shivered while another pain wave hit her.

"It'll be okay honey. You're safe now and will remain as such. I'm going to take you to Doctor Hojo for an examination and some medicine to heal your wounds. Then you'll be okay." Anna said as she continued to shake in pain and fear. She didn't know what to make of her new situation and if it would be any better than where she was.

"Is Marlene and Sephy okay?" The brunette uttered.

"Yes, they're fine. You saved their lives today by getting them to that soldier." Anna responded as the brunette promptly passed out, exhausted from the day's events. The elder Shinra sibling looked at her young brother, "Probably for the best. If she reacted to you the way she did, I'm afraid of the severity of her injuries."

* * *

When they arrived, Rufus picked up the brunette, grateful that she was still sleeping. They hurried to the lab before she could awake, setting her on a cot where it would at least be more comfortable before Rufus turned to Anna. "I'll let Sephy know you're back, but you both have some treatments to undergo to ensure you're both okay."

She nodded, "Keep it as sanitized as you can. I don't want him knowing that she was badly hurt. I want Barret and Tifa to lose custody of that little girl. They were letting her run the damn bar!"

Rufus nodded as he left the room just before the girl began to wake. Anna came over to her. "Just rest, you're safely ensconced in Hojo's lab."

Airlia blinked, "That can't be true. It has to be a lie. I'm still a prisoner of that pervert!"

Anna shook her head, her long hair swaying, "No. I'm here and you're here. No one is going to hurt you again."

The door opened to reveal a man in a long white lab coat. His long black hair was in a ponytail as he came over to observe the girl. "Hm… You've been through quite the gauntlet haven't you child? I have to do some blood tests… are you okay if I do them?" He was ever aware of the fear in her eyes. He knew instantly she was suffering from something that had the potential to be serious. Shaking his head, he turned to Anna. "My dear, if I instruct you, could you kindly do the items that I need done for her? She won't be trusting of much of anyone for a long time."

The woman nodded as she turned to Airlia, "I need to do these tests for you Airlia. We need to ensure that there aren't any additional problems, would that be okay?"

The brunette nodded before sinking deeply into the cot, wishing ever so deeply that she could just fall into a deep slumber.

Anna looked at the woman, "Would you like to sleep for the tests dear?"

Airlia nodded, still not looking at anyone in particular as Anna nodded. Hojo gave Anna a breathing apparatus. "Have her breath deeply into this and count backwards from ten. It will allow her to sleep while you do everything."

* * *

Rufus remembered her eyes, the scene flashing back to his sister's wedding and then to the grieving parents. They deserved to know everything, though not the extent of her injuries. Blood on his shirt, he hurried back to his room to change first to not make them even more upset when his father stopped him dead in his tracks. "What happened son?"

The younger Shinra shook his head. "Come with me into my room so I can change this shirt while I explain. It's with regards to Airlia… Maeve and Arnold's daughter…"

The moment the elder Shinra heard that, his face dropped a few shades of white, matching his son's clothing. They went into the room as Rufus took off his shirt and grabbed another one - depositing the other into the trash. "So the mysterious savior of your grandson… it was Airlia. She almost died with the beating she must have been given for handing the two kids over to the soldier. He then handed her to Corneo… Who may I add is resting uncomfortably in a cell right now along with two members of Avalanche. I still want to squash the hornet nest so that people will never have to endure the nightmare she has. Only after Airlia's injuries have been treated do we approach her parents."

The president of Shinra Inc nodded in agreement. "Yes, and I might recommend that they all take a vacation over in Costa Del Sol to allow them time to heal and time to get to know one another again. It's been six years… Six long years." He sat down as he felt prematurely aged by ten years. "I was so afraid that when they were first examined before coming back that it was too soon. Hojo seemed to think going back to work was the best thing for them. Turns out that he was right. They converted Costa Del Sol completely to solar power, helped to realize your dream for Junon entirely. They're still working on something for Nibelheim because of the trauma that was suffered there."

Once he was in his new shirt, Rufus shrugged, "Yes, and they're on the breakthrough of something potentially big to convert other resources to energy, keeping it sustainable. Rocket Town was converted through their ideas of disguising the materia. We're just finishing up the last of the backup wind materia upgrade. They work better if they're fully powered, but we have to make it appear as if they're not there because of those damned Wutainians. Regardless, I need to see if Anna has clothing that Airlia can use. Hers are dirty, ragged and torn - exposing her chest."

Solomon nodded, "I'll go grab something, then we'll have the clothier come and fit her with a new wardrobe."

Rufus went to find Marlene and Sephy playing nicely in the day care. The brown haired child was quiet who bordered on nervous. He kneeled next to them. "Your mom is going to be just fine Sephy. Hojo's just checking up on her to make sure that the bad people didn't hurt her. The nice lady is also being looked over for the same reasons. When they're ready, they'll come over and see the two of you."

He didn't miss the look that quickly flashed through the small child. "What's wrong Marlene?"

She shook her head, "That nice lady was always my friend. I just hope she's not badly hurt…"

He filed the girl's concerns in the back of his mind. Something tickled him about it, but he couldn't put his finger on it … yet.

Returning to the examination wing, he sat just outside waiting for the okay to go in. He sighed heavily as a woman came into view. Groaning, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was the last woman on the planet that he wanted to see. "Oh Mister Vice President!" Her silky voice washed over him like a bucket of acid.

"Yes Scarlet?" He asked as he refused to look up, knowing she was in her 'slut' attire as his sister would put it. A red dress that tied off around the back of her neck, and the back of the dress was open until her ass, then a slit up her right thigh that went halfway past her knee.

"I wanted to know if we were to discuss the matters regarding my department over dinner tonight?" She tried to sound silky as he shook his head.

"No, and we will not be discussing it, ever, over any meal. I know my father warned you to dress more appropriately for work. Go home, get changed and we will discuss it at three tomorrow." Rufus said bluntly as the woman stormed away before President Shinra arrived, sighing.

"Any word yet if she is receiving guests?" Solomon asked as Rufus shook his head.

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be long before Anna comes out my guess." The younger man said as the door opened.

Anna emerged as she saw her father, "Daddy…"

He set the clothing down before sighing heavily. "I'll leave matters to be talked about until later. How's the girl?"

Her eyes darkened, "She's resting, but she's badly hurt in too many ways to list." She saw the clothing and smiled. "I'll help her get changed into them. I'm sure she'd prefer these to the ripped rags she was in before."

Going inside, she remained there for a few minutes before the pair emerged from the room. "Let's go get something to eat. I know I'm hungry, and I'm sure Sephy and Marlene are too."

Airlia's eyes brightened at the names of the two children as she kept her head low. Solomon frowned, what did they do to her in Avalanche? He stopped them before coming to stand in front of the shaking woman. "You need not be afraid of me child. I know you've been through much. However, you will not be struck for keeping your head up. Yes I know that much, it's not hard to guess. Your head is down, you're shaking like a leaf and you're in an unfamiliar environment. You're afraid you're being watched by Avalanche. Well they can't get to you now. You're safe."

Grey-blue eyes flashed for a moment as she realized what was going on. "Did you get all of them?"

He sighed heavily telling her the answer. "Then I'm not safe and must behave as if they are near. They are able to infiltrate anywhere you know."

Anna grabbed her hand. "You're safe now. If anyone tries anything, they will have to get through myself and my brother at the least. Never mind that before they even get that far they have the Turks to contend with. And the rest of the Shinra Army."

She nodded before freezing in place like a deer caught in headlights. Looking before her, Rufus realized instantly why she did. Maeve and Arnold were there, staring at the group - looking at the girl next to him specifically as he cursed himself. Maeve looked at the girl before slumping to the ground in a dead faint. Arnold barely caught his wife as he struggled to understand what happened. She was dead… she died in the fire…

Airlia wasn't sure what prompted her to run to the fallen woman, but her heart cried out at it. A face that she saw when she slept - it meant the woman knew who she was. She reached out to touch her cheek, as the man before her stilled her hand. "Who are you?" His voice came out broken, he had to be sure…

She tried to think about that question. Who am I? She shook her head, "I … I don't know. I wasn't allowed to go by my name for a long time, so it feels like I've forgotten it though I remember her face from my dreams… and yours. Who… who am I?"

Arnold gently settled his wife on the ground for a moment to gently brush her hair from her face, and when he found himself looking into the spitting image of his wife, with a blend of himself… he sighed heavily as his heart filled with hope. "Airlia? Is it really you?"

The name felt familiar. "I don't know…"

Rufus came over to her as he looked at Arnold, "We have much to discuss, Arnold. When your wife wakes, both of you come to me and Anna. We will explain what we know. For now, she needs to be able to rest and relax."

The dark haired man nodded. He finally felt hope bloom, but then he had to wonder… what happened to his daughter.

Anna came over quickly, "Hojo is in his lab, why not bring Maeve there to relax and wake up." Arnold nodded mutely before he got up with his wife in his arms and went over to the company resident medic.

They escorted her to a large dining room where four other people were - all of whom were dressed in navy. A bald man with a goatee approached her. "My name is Rude. Solomon explained your situation to us and after a discussion - we decided it would be best if I was your shadow for a while until you start feeling more like yourself and that you're finally safe."

Airlia paled but nodded, saying nothing. They brought out a hearty meal while two little children came in and ran to Airlia immediately. Sephy's eyes were bright as he spoke, "It's the nice lady! Thanks grandpa for helping her! Thanks Uncle Rufus!"

She quietly checked over the two for injuries, and found herself grateful both children were unharmed. Dinner was quiet until a knock came to the door. Anna quickly went to the door and saw it was Doctor Hojo. He had a thick packet in his hand. "I processed these as quickly as I could Anna. You're not going to like their results."

Nodding, she took the packet and quickly looked through it, feeling sick to her stomach. Turning away from the records, Anna regarded the broken woman with a sad expression. Sad that her childhood was brought to such an abrupt standstill. Going back to the table, they proceeded to eat quietly until a knock came to the door once more. Anna looked at Rude with a curt nod. Getting the hidden message, he went to the door and was surprised to find it was Maeve and Arnold.

They didn't let him halt their attempt to get inside the room, pushing past him to see their daughter - seemingly back from the grave, and yet very different. Maeve slowly approached her. "It's you… isn't it Airlia? Thank the heavens. I never gave up hope that I would see you again. I told you Arnold… a mother knows."

Arnold watched how stiff she was around Maeve with a keen interest. It spoke of some of the traumas she must have endured. However, the moment Maeve's arms came around Airlia, it all came crashing down on her. The long years of imprisonment and torture. She tried her best to not cry because of Marlene and Sephy. Children were better off not seeing their elders cry - and certainly not for her reason. Tseng and Reeve, seeing the tears quickly escorted the tykes out, saying that she was exhausted and needed rest.

Once they were gone, Airlia didn't cry as a normal person would, but just broken sobs that tore at the hearts of everyone who heard it as Rufus looked at her awkwardly. What the hell did she suffer in there? More importantly… why do I want to go and hurt every one of them personally for it? Looking up at his sister, she flashed the folder that she had looked at before as he nodded. Excusing himself to allow her father his seat, he went to look at the folder and felt ill. The litany of injuries she had suffered, it was the worst nightmare anyone could have ever endured. When Solomon came over to examine it, he mouthed a few inaudible words behind the folder - hiding his anger from the situation. Turning to Maeve and Arnold, he sighed heavily. "Whatever help you need for her recovery, we will gladly provide. I'm just glad she's home safe and sound now."

Arnold knew exactly what those words meant. She had been tortured into this broken doll before them. She barely met anyone's gaze before ducking her head with a stiffening of her body. He tried to get her to look at him. "No one here will hurt you Airlia. I promise that. You're home, no one can touch you again."

However, before she could respond, the doors were thrown open to show a tall man with long, silver hair. She jumped, and ran to the back of the room as Anna ran to her husband, sobbing.

"Sephiroth!" she cried as she latched onto him. Her husband put his arms tenderly about her. "You're home. You're home."

Rufus looked torn, he wanted to punch Sephiroth - but he also wanted to comfort the broken woman. Choosing his path, he walked calmly to the shaking girl and whispered, "It's okay. He won't hurt you. It's Sephiroth if you remember him."

Shaking her head, she whispered, "I can barely remember my past… I can't even remember my name because I haven't been allowed to say it in my years of captivity if I'm to understand everything. They'll kill me when they get their hands on me."

Rufus gently took her into his arms, trying to bring her comfort as he whispered, "It's going to be okay Airlia. Your name is Airlia Marchand. And I promise, they won't get their hands on you. Not only do they have to go through me, and my cat Dark Nation. To even get to us, there's the Turks and the rest of the Shinra Army."

Arnold and Maeve looked torn about Rufus comforting their daughter. Not because it was him, but because of how damaged she had become. They didn't want anyone to hurt her ever again, not even their longtime he was many years his junior, and he knew that the man cared about his daughter when they were kids… but does he still care the same way now? It would crush her to latch onto him because of a desperate need to feel safe for him to lead her on while not feeling the same way.

Sephiroth came over to the pair in the corner with Anna. He observed the woman and knew somehow that she was damaged. Sighing, he frowned. "Who did this to you? Who hurt you like this?"

It took everything for Rufus to not punch the man for hurting his sister. "Avalanche. Barret tried to toss her to Corneo when we found her." He ignored the man as he observed her stomach where many of her injuries had been laid. The stitches were holding thankfully as he coaxed her out of the corner.

He wasn't about to pull punches now, "Cloud was among them too. As a mercenary he claims. They blew up a reactor and went after a second one. He claims he didn't know about the fact that Airlia here, was a prisoner. Barret and his group, possibly excluding Cloud and Tifa, beat it into her to not look up at anyone, so they never saw her eyes. But yet they never questioned her on why she didn't look up."

Sephiroth blinked. "Cloud was among them? May I beat some sense into him yet?"

Rufus shook his head, "There's a line up right now. Maeve and Arnold get first dibs because of the hell they have suffered for years. Next it's still being fought out between Anna and me. If Airlia wants to kick their asses for the living hell she suffered, I wouldn't be remiss to let her go before the two of us."

The silver haired man chuckled. "This will be fun. I'm in. Then I will explain what I remember from the time I was badly wounded."

"I think you should explain that first," Anna stated. "I've been worried about you for five years! I thought you were dead! That's what Father told me. And be nice to Cloud. He saved my life."

Sephiroth sighed. "Well, I suppose if he saved your life, I won't beat him too badly. I will explain everything later my love. But for now, we have a friend who needs our help and criminals to question."

Anna frowned. "You better be prepared to make good on that. I will expect you to tell me everything."

Solomon Shinra looked from his son-in-law to his daughter to Airlia and her parents. "Actually, I think it would be best to leave any questioning until tomorrow. Miss Marchand will surely need to become reacquainted with her parents and will need time to recover. And you…" he gazed hard at the AWOL general. "You have much to explain and I hope for your sake, you can explain your actions well. But I will let you first explain yourself to your wife. Report to my office first thing in the morning."

Sephiroth knew he'd promised his mother that he'd return immediately but found he could not yet leave his wife. Surely, she'd understand if he took a little while longer. Time to reassure his beloved that everything was alright now.

* * *

Airlia walked back with her parents as they tried to ask her questions, only to have no response. Maeve was unsure of what to do, because this was her little girl. She had suffered unimaginable horrors. Arnold merely remained quiet, studying the slim girl. She had grown into the spitting image of her mother with darker hair.

Once they went into their small apartment within the building, Airlia crumbled again. More of the pain that she had suffered, more of the nightmares came to the surface as she tried to push them back down as only nightmares. Maeve and Arnold helped her into an easy chair for her to relax in.

"Airlia, when you're ready to talk about what happened, we're here. I don't want to push you because it's obviously traumatic." Arnold said as he brought her a small cup of soothing chamomile tea.

She merely looked at it like it was foreign. Yet as the smell hit her, she sighed softly. Bringing it to her lips, she sipped on the steaming beverage as she felt it soothe her inside. "When I was helping those two children… to escape with Rude… I couldn't run, it would slow them down because I was just beaten again for wasting fruit. But it was worth it… both beatings… I saved lives by getting the message to Annaliese about the reactor. Then the second beating, after getting the children away… it was for being a 'traitor,'" she spat the word before continuing, "and for giving the children to Rude."

A small clearing of the throat came, making the family aware someone else was at the door. Maeve allowed the man in, to see it was the aforementioned man. He gave her a strange sort of smile, like he was sorry, but yet he hadn't had much practice at it. "I'm sorry Miss Airlia, for not being able to get you out of danger at the time. My priority was the young Sephy, and the little girl you put in my arms too."

Airlia shook her head, "No, I accepted whatever my fate would be the moment they knew I had been giving messages to you all."

Maeve tried to hug her daughter, but the stiffness was still prevalent. Airlia looked unsure of what to say, "Rude, could you… please? I need to show them something. They deserve to know what was done…"

He nodded as he stepped out for a moment. Airlia stood after setting her tea down. She had to show them at least some of it… They deserved to see it and she knew it was bound to come out someday anyways. She lifted the hem of her loose shirt to show the stitches, the bruises and scars as Maeve cried out in horror. Arnold merely stood rigidly, he would allow his wife to cry for the moment, but he didn't want Airlia seeing his own tears at the moment. She kept her shirt up, not showing above the edges of her rib cage as she turned around for them to see her back. Long welts marred her, and fresh boot prints from an apparent stomping.

Maeve could barely keep her stomach contents where they were as a glance at her husband showed the pain he felt for his daughter. She lowered her shirt as she spoke, "I just don't want you to think that I'm not trying to hug. I want to hug my parents, but it hurts to do so. So please…" her voice cracked, "please don't be mad…"

Arnold came over to her and kissed the top of her head, "I couldn't ever be mad at you Air."

Maeve joined in, once her husband gave her some room where she wasn't worried about touching something that hurt. A knock on the door arrived as Rude came in with Dr. Hojo. "Solomon mentioned that you'd be getting ready for bed. I've brought a gentle sedative for Airlia as her wounds may make it hard for her to sleep." He left out the fact that she was likely to have nightmares, and that the sedative was strong to try and keep her dreams blank.

She laid in bed as the medicine took effect quickly, rendering her asleep in moments.

* * *

Walking into her apartment, Anna was prepared to sit Sephiroth down for a serious talk. However, she'd forgotten that as late as it was, Rude would have Sephy home, feeding the boy his supper.

The little boy jumped up from his plate of chicken nuggets and french fries. "Mommy!" he ran over to her and hugged her. "You're okay!"

Sephiroth stared in shock as his wife got down on her knees to hold the little boy. "Oh Sephy, how much sugar did your Uncle Rude give you?"

"It wasn't Uncle Rude, it was Uncle Reno. He brought me some candy! But Uncle Rude said I need to eat my dinner first. I only had five pieces before," the little boy told her.

Annaliese sighed. "Thank you for watching him Rude. Things got a little crazy down there."

"Yes Ms Annaliese. I will take my leave," he stopped seeing the long-missing general. What was he supposed to say to this development? "Good night." He left quickly but took up a place of guard outside the apartment door.

Anna waited until Rude had gone and wiped ketchup from Sephy's upper lip. Sephiroth finally found the words. "Anna?"

Anna didn't turn around. "I was going to tell you. The night you were supposed to be coming home. I made us a big, fancy dinner and everything. Well, I ordered a fancy dinner. But...then Father came in...he said…" She clutched her son to her. "He said…"

"Mommy," Sephy interrupted. "Who's dat?"

Anna picked up the boy. "Sephy, this is...your father…Sephiroth, this is your son."

Sephiroth looked with awe at the toddler. "My son...I'm a...I'm a father?" He held his stomach in pained shock. How could he just leave her like that? Leave her to have this baby all by herself. "My darling...I am sorry. If I had known…" Mother must have known though. Why didn't she tell him? This changed things. He couldn't go back now. "Hello Sephy…" he finally said to the little boy.

Sephy looked up at the man. His Mommy had told him all kinds of stories about his Daddy being this big hero, someone strong and brave. "Daddy?" He held out his arms and fairly flung himself over to grab onto the man's neck. "Daddy!"

Sephiroth held his son the way he'd always wished his father would have held him. "My son...my son...it's okay. It's okay. Daddy's home. And Daddy's never going away again." He couldn't go back. His duty was to care for his family first. It wasn't his job to play the hero and save the world.

Anna's irritation at his disappearance faded as father and son met for the first time. "Well, why don't we all sit down and have dinner. I'll cook up some of those nuggets and fries for us." She went to the freezer and pulled out the bag of chicken nuggets and crinkle cut fries. She put them on a cookie sheet and stuck them in the oven. "It'll be ready in about five minutes. Sephy you should sit while I reheat yours." It had gotten very cold in the short time.

"How old are you now Sephy?" Sephiroth asked.

Sephy proudly held up four fingers. "4 1/2! And I know my ABCs already! Listen! ABCDE..."

Anna giggled as her son sung the Alphabet Song for his father. He stumbled over some of the letters and said LNNOP instead LMNOP but it didn't change the look of pride and absolute joy at his son's accomplishment.

"Now I know my ABCs next time won't you sing with me," Sephy finished.

Sephiroth clapped. "Very good son. Anna darling, our son's a genius!"

Anna laughed out loud. Only such a proud father could hear the Alphabet Song and decide his son was an intellectual prodigy from that. She brought over the reheated nuggets and fries for her son and served up the freshly cooked servings for Sephiroth and herself.

* * *

AN


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. This is a collaboration between Ceara Ivory and myself.

Those Chosen By The Planet

Disc 1 Part 4: Confrontations

Rufus frowned as he recalled the report. His friend had her childhood stripped from her so deeply as he thought about how to deal with that. He was also still pissed at Sephiroth. Solomon sighed heavily as he sat down in his chair. He ran a hand through the remains of his hair. "Rufus, I know you want to confront Ms. Lockhart about Airlia… I do too. But given how much this has affected us, I'm going to have Tseng and Rude do it."

He didn't miss his son's brief expression of rage at not being able to confront one of the tormentors. "We're just too close to the situation. Airlia needs our help more and I'm still debating on allowing her to ask a question of the woman. It would help her, but if the answer doesn't make any sense to her… it could kill her. She and Sephiroth need to be our main focus right now."

Rufus nodded curtly, his father had a point. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to remember the burnt unicorn. It had become symbolic now… the death of innocence. He couldn't get the images out of his head of what had happened to the young woman. Still, it gave him an idea. A cruel, sadistic idea to scare the hell out of the brunette sitting in the cell cooling her heels.

He turned to see the silent shadows. Tseng spoke enough, but often time he remained quiet. "I have an idea, would you be willing to do something for me during interrogation tomorrow?"

Tseng raised a single eyebrow. When his boss got that tone in his voice, it never meant anything good. "What is it boss?"

Rufus smirked as he explained it, and gave them a thick packet. One that Hojo had redone, stating only about the recent attacks on Airlia. "Show Ms. Lockhart this packet. Show her the pictures and details inside. I want her to know what supporting that 'group' did to her. This will be what we need to break her and make her spill information on the rest of the organization."

Solomon whistled low. He knew that Rufus was hitting below the belt, but that group… they didn't deserve to have punches pulled. With that plan in mind, they knew that while the Turks were interrogating Tifa, they would be interrogating Sephiroth. Let him have the night to rest with his daughter and their son, but then they would deal with him afterwards.

* * *

Night passed by slowly as Airlia slept in her dead sleep while in Cloud's cell showed two who couldn't sleep. The blond soldier sat on the cot while he studied the girl in pink.

"SOLDIER huh?" The brunette asked as he nodded. She smiled, "That means you must have known Zack."

Cloud blinked. "Zack? Yeah, he was my superior actually."

Aeris grinned, "Yeah. He was my boyfriend. But he died when a reactor malfunctioned…" She became silent as the pain gripped her again.

Cloud shook his head, "It wasn't a reactor malfunction… It was a terrible tragedy." However a fist slammed into the wall behind him, telling him where Tifa was.

"Sephiroth destroyed it, and Nibelheim. He massacred dozens and that included Zack. He killed my father!" The angry brunette nearly screamed.

Cloud muttered, "Tifa, shut up. I know you're angry. I am too. But it doesn't give you the right to hold a young woman captive."

Aeris, feeling a bit out of her depth, became silent as she laid down on her cot and attempted to sleep. Cloud however, remained awake, guilt eating at him for not asking about why the girl was so meek.

* * *

Sephiroth gladly helped his wife bathe Sephy and put the boy to bed. He was surprised that the child had requested HE be the one to read his bedtime story. The only one to ever show him any kind of affection was his dear Anna. It was a new thrill to be wanted and even needed by someone so small.

Finally the boy was asleep and he joined his wife in their bedroom. The bedroom they had not shared in five years. They prepared for bed as if everything was normal, but he could tell by her demeanor that it was not. She dressed into her nightgown, trying her hardest not to look at him.

"I'm sorry my love...I know the last five years haven't been easy for you," he tried to tell her.

She hugged herself. "Do you? Do you really understand what I'm feeling right now? You disappeared. I thought you were dead! Forget for a minute, that I had to be pregnant, alone and had to raise our son, alone. I thought you were dead!" Anna trembled and fought back tears. "I could have accepted it if you had called and said you'd be gone for awhile as long as there was good reason. You let me think you were dead!"

Sephiroth knew he'd handled this all wrong. "I did have good reason. I just wanted to protect you. I discovered a great power in myself but I didn't know how to control it yet. I feared I might hurt you by accident."

"See! Now would it have been so hard to go to a phone and call me and tell me that?" She asked.

Sephiroth laughed. "I guess not. I'm sorry my sweet. I swore up and down I would never do anything to hurt you and it seems I broke my promise by trying to keep it." He put his arms around her. "I will never leave you again. Not like that. I promise." He would have to tell his mother that he just couldn't leave his family. They needed him. His wife needed him as did his son.

* * *

Morning came and everyone awoke with a sense of unease. Well everyone but Cloud. Airlia froze for a moment before she opened her eyes. However when it registered in her mind that she was laying on a bed, tears flooded her eyes. I… I'm free… I'm … I'm home… She slowly got up, to see her parents sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Next to them was a small fire safe that almost entranced her. Maeve smiled when she saw her daughter. "I know it's been a while, but I've never forgotten. I made your favorite breakfast, pancakes with syrup and fresh fruit."

Airlia nodded as she walked over to the table and took a small bite. Once it went down and her stomach reminded just how unhappy it was being empty, she promptly devoured the food. When it was done, she looked at the safe. "Is that…"

Arnold nodded. "Our fireproof safe survived the fire as it had been designed to." He opened it to show her scrapbook. It brought back flashes of memories. A tiny unicorn that Rufus had won for her when Palmer went down into the dunk tank. Later on, how he had playfully pushed her into the pool after she had put her unicorn into the room. She giggled as she remembered taking him in with her. The look on his face had been priceless. She flipped through it as she saw the dried white roses. She closed the book as she saw the blue roses sitting in the box. She hadn't remember saving the roses but her mother chuckled. "You had been so shocked that you got the bouquet, that you wanted to save the white roses. While we couldn't fit in the unicorn, we had been able to put the blue silk roses in there."

Airlia gaped as she remembered the scene. "I… I remember it. I was so happy that Anna had been able to marry the one she loved."

A knock on the door halted everything as Arnold stood up to answer it. "Ah Doctor Hojo, what brings you by this morning?"

He gave them a small smile, "I'm here with daytime medicine for Airlia. It'll ease her pain while she recovers, while not putting her fast to sleep."

Arnold nodded, as he observed the bottle. "Thank you Hojo. Would you like anything to eat? We've only just finished making breakfast though Airlia has quite the appetite it seems."

Hojo chuckled, he was finding it easier to mask the unease. "No, but thanks. I have a lot of tests to run still on other matters." He suspected something else, but it wasn't his place to make it known. Time would reveal it, as it always does. He excused himself while Arnold brought the medicine over to his daughter.

* * *

While Arnold and Maeve were still getting used to Airlia being home Solomon Shinra had been thinking long and hard about if Airlia was going to be able to question Tifa, even to ask one question. He had decided it wasn't wise. the girl had been widely traumatised by the events and should only relax for the time being. If he got his hands on the leader, he had no doubt in his mind he would let her question him then. And perhaps even go so far as to allow his son and daughter question the bastard. A knock on the door stilled his thoughts, "Come in."

He wasn't surprised when his son's head poked through the small opening. "Father, shall we go question his royal assness for his vanishing act?"

Solomon nodded, "Yes, then after I think it would be good for you to spend some time with your young lady. She has been through a nightmare and deserves a lot of care."

Rufus nodded in agreement, "Yes, and I have something that belongs to her… It should help her to think of the happier times before this hell happened."

Nodding, the pair proceeded to leave the room to go find Sephiroth…

* * *

As ordered Sephiroth reported to the office as soon as he helped his wife feed and dress their boy. His priorities were back where they belonged. His family topped the list.

"Forgive my tardiness sir, I had to help with my son," he explained as he entered the office.

"As you should have." Solomon stated simply. "Let's start simple. Where were you?"

Sephiroth sat down. "I was training in the Northern Crater. While in Nibelheim, the powers Hojo always said I would have awakened in the close proximity of the alien lifeform Jenova. They drove me temporarily mad and I lost control over them." He remembered that terrible day. "I hurt...I killed many innocent people that day. It was strange. It didn't feel like it was me. Everything was just a blur, I had tunnel vision. It was me. I accept responsibility for my actions sir. I killed my best friend. Cloud was able to stop me and I fell from the reactor. Jenova used the mako stream to take me to safety in the crater. I woke there not long after and I knew I had to train to control my powers. Or it could happen again."

Shinra sat down. "Your reason for staying away is valid. What's your excuse for not letting us know?"

Sephiroth sighed uneasily. "None beyond for a while I was still afraid of my powers. Afraid they'd go out of control again while I was in that same town. I didn't… couldn't… risk that on them, or on you all sir."

He nodded, he'd expected something like that. "While it's understandable, it's still inexcusable. After you got in control of your abilities, you should have sought out a phone."

There was an uneasy silence before a door knock sounded. Shinra frowned, it had better be who he thought it was and not something stupid. "Come in."

Rufus walked through the door and saw Sephiroth there as he shut the door behind him. "You bastard!" The vice-president spat as he came towards the silver haired man. "There is no excuse in this world for leaving your wife in the lurch for five years. Five fucking years."

Sephiroth understood why Sephy was left out of it. The child hadn't been made known yet. Standing, he braced himself for whatever the strawberry blond man would do. Rufus fisted his hand and launched it into the man's gut, only to be met with what felt like a brick wall. It may not have hurt him, and it sure as hell stung his hand, but it had felt good.

Suddenly he stopped, realizing in that moment why he had wanted to punch him. He saw both women in his life suffering and he was powerless to stop either. Cursing himself he sent a deadly glare to Sephiroth. "You ever do that again, and I swear it, you'll live to regret it."

Sephiroth didn't even try to defend himself to his brother-in-law. There was no defense, Rufus was right. No excuse could justify his choice to not even make contact. Though Mother had insisted...no, he was an adult at the time. He could just as well have made the decision to go make the call, or even just send a letter.

"The destruction of Nibelheim has been paid for already, the town repaired. The survivors given recompense. However," Solomon said quietly. "Something must be done. You say you lost control of your powers, that they led you to massacre a small town. People say they saw the madness in your eyes as you put your sword through their loved ones and burned their homes and belongings."

Sephiroth felt the guilt inside of him. "I know...I know what I did was unforgivable and will accept any punishment you choose to give."

"It is...fortunate for you that my daughter would be very hurt if I decided to do what would normally be done in this situation. I honestly don't know what to do about this," Shinra went to the window.

Sephiroth stood. "I understand. Let me make it easy," he unsheathed his sword and laid it on the desk. "I hereby resign my commission. Or you can call it dishonorably discharged. I understand if there must be more but this is all I can think of right now. I'd offer my own life as payment if I could afford to. I couldn't hurt my wife that way though. Nor my son."

Shinra took a deep breath. "Go see Hojo. He will want to make sure you aren't still injured after all this time away. Then return to your apartment." He just couldn't bring himself to order Sephiroth's death. Not when he knew his daughter would be heartbroken to lose her husband a second time. But how to let him off so easy without dishonoring his victims and denying their surviving family closure?

* * *

Rufus sighed as he nursed his injured hand. It wasn't broken, but it hurt a hell of a lot. Still, it had felt good to get out some of his anger… the bastard had deserved it for abandoning his sister. Walking back to his room, he saw the little toy unicorn still sitting on the shelf.

He smiled as he grabbed it and left - heading back to Maeve and Arnold's residence. Knocking on it, he was greeted with Maeve's smiling face. "Rufus, won't you come in?"

Smiling a little, he came inside as she quickly closed the door behind him. Even after all of the abuse Airlia had suffered, she still remained this fragile, beautiful woman he had always seen her growing into. Her eyes still showed their fear of the situation, fear that it was all a dream. His own eyes dimmed a little before he coughed a bit. "When we were cleaning out the burnt house… I saw this and knew that you were still alive. As you know, very little survived the fire…" It wasn't the complete truth, but she didn't need to know it. She just needs good memories to help revive her spirit. He held his hand out with the small unicorn and was rewarded with a bright smile that reached her eyes. Seeing those blue-grey orbs shine in happiness told him the white lie was worth it.

She reached out and grabbed the unicorn, bringing it close to her. Airlia had thought it was gone forever. "Rufus… thank you. I think part of me buried the good memories, something to give me hope at night while I was there… but after so long… it's so hard to remember them. But this… my scrapbook… Thank you."

He only smiled saying nothing. She sat the unicorn on her bed, specifically on the pillow before turning back to him. However, the movement ripped something as she gripped for anything, ending up bearing down on the table as her silver purple shirt that Shinra had grabbed for her turned darker with her blood.

Crying out in pain, Rufus swooped her into his arms as the group hurried back to Hojo. Hojo wasn't overly surprised with seeing the group there. He had hoped what he did was enough for her since he wasn't adept at magic with the materia. Rufus turned to Hojo, "please, stop the bleeding!"

The man nodded, "I have to see it, but she has such extensive scarring where it likely occurred that it's hard to predict if the stitches remain."

Rufus nodded, "Here's what we do. You stop the bleeding, whatever you must do Hojo. I'll use materia on her to seal the wound while the internals heal."

They worked together to seal the tear back up as Rufus winced. He had seen the photos, but they still did nothing in comparison to the actual injuries and scars. He wanted to go beat someone… again. He considered how she must feel - the shame and agony and knew that it would take a lot for him to get her to see how beautiful she is regardless of those marks.

Once it was sealed, he focused his magic on her and sealed the wound enough that the stitches would remain in place for the rest of the natural healing process that she had to go through. Magic was not something to be used flippantly for the backlash could end up killing her instead of healing.

She groaned as she awoke. Her stomach felt like it was ablaze. "What… what happened?" Maeve shook her head.

"Don't worry about it honey. You're gonna be okay. Let's get you back to bed." She said as Airlia nodded.

She moved very slowly and in rigid motions to try and ease the pain there as she saw the vice president and blushed, until she saw the blood on his shirt. "Are you okay Rufus?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Airlia. Let's just make sure you get back to the apartment and rest some."

His only thought was he wanted to put his foot up all of Avalanche and make sure they didn't have kids. They walked slowly back to the Marchand's apartment as Rufus tilted his head back. He had to wonder how things were going in the interrogation. When they arrived, he helped her into bed to try and rest as he saw her hold the unicorn to her like a life preserver. Bending over, he kissed her cheek. "Welcome home Air. Welcome home."

She blushed at his nickname for her. Yeah he had called her that in the past during some of the get togethers, but somehow things were… different. She could see he had developed well, even as she began to fall asleep again, becoming even more handsome… but there was no way he could love her in her physical state…

* * *

Tseng and Rude had prepared the interrogation room quite well. They had shackled Ms. Lockhart to the chair, with a trash can just to her left and right. The busty brunette was making herself heard that she didn't appreciate it.

"When I get out of here you assholes are gonna pay! You killed my family and all of Nibelheim in that incident five years ago!"

Rude frowned as his eyes made contact with Tifa. "No, you will listen well Ms. Lockhart. You and your band of merry misfits who call themselves Avalanche. They kidnapped that girl who was rescued." He was uncomfortable speaking so much, but they knew if it was coming from the silent one, she might listen.

Tifa spat at him, "They didn't kidnap her! They rescued her!"

Tseng frowned. "Really Ms. Lockhart? Ever wonder why she didn't speak, or why she didn't look up?"

The woman was quick to respond. "Simple, she was a mute. At least that's what Barret said."

Rude slammed his fist onto the table. "Really? A mute? Then tell me why she sobbed? Tell me why she can say who we are?"

The brown eyed woman blinked. "That's a lie! You're just trying to make me think she was kidnapped!"

Tseng turned on a monitor and played back the article from when Airlia went missing. Tifa started to turn a shade of grey. "Then that would mean she was a prisoner of war…"

Tseng opened the file and slammed it down onto the table. "Look at the results of what our esteemed Doctor Hojo found. He found that these injuries alone are either from the day we rescued her, or within the past few days. Look at these photos."

He laid out each photo, and saw the pain swim in the brunette's eyes. "She was told not to look up and beaten into it, so that no one may recognize her to save her. She was threatened into not running away. She broke that the moment they took a child hostage. She rushed the children into Rude's arms and told him to go because she was too injured to go with him. Look at these bleeding cuts, gashes, welts and boot prints. How she survived is a miracle. So answer me this, is it that you really hate Shinra, or that you just hate Sephirtoh? Because if it's just Sephiroth, you have no reason to attack us when we're trying to save people from being killed. Reactor 1, the one you idiots blew up could have killed thousands, but she risked her life to tell us so that we could save everyone."

Tifa looked at all of the photos and turned to the trash can on her right and hurled what little was in her stomach. She had helped those men to keep that woman prisoner by not questioning it. What have I done?


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. This is a collaboration between Ceara Ivory and myself.

Those Chosen By The Planet

Disc 1 Part 5: Plans Unfurled

Barret growled as he slammed a fist on the table in his bar. He had lost two allies that day. His anger grew further at the loss of the Shinra Princess and youngling. Finally it hit the boiling limit when he found out his daughter was gone! He screamed as he let a few bullets fly in his anger. It had all been _her_ fault. Turning to Biggs and Wedge, "You two, find me a way immediately into the Shinra Tower. Use our contacts if needed. I must get my daughter back, and I will make that bitch suffer for betraying us!"

* * *

In the excitement of everything; Airlia's rescue, the return of her husband, even her son's safety; Anna was disturbed at how absentminded she had become. She went in search of Cloud first and surely Aeris must have been given a room to sleep in as late as it had been.

She went to the jail on the 67th floor. This was a temporary holding area designed to hold suspects until they could be questioned. A Grunt stopped her continuing passage.

"Lady Shinra, it is not safe beyond this point. The people who kidnapped you are being held here," the grunt stated.

Anna waved her hand. "Allow me through Private. Cloud is not the one who kidnapped me. In fact he saved my life. I wish to speak with him."

The Grunt could not deny her direct order. "Very well Ma'am, but I stay with you."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Very well Private. Take me to Cloud's cell and unlock it. I will not talk through a door."

The Grunt bowed slightly. "Yes Ma'am." He took the keycard to the second cell and swiped it. "Prisoner Cloud Strife, you have a visitor."

Cloud and Aeris stood up together and Anna fairly shrieked. "Aeris, what are you doing in here?"

"They arrested me in the confusion. I haven't been able to get two words in either," Aeris explained. She had known somehow her friend would be down here to rescue her.

Anna rolled her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'll make this right. Don't you worry. Private, I want Miss Gainsborough taken to my apartment and served the finest breakfast imaginable. Serve her tea and tend to her every need. You will also send a message to the Sector 5 slums notifying her mother that she is safe."

The Grunt bowed again. "Yes Ma'am." Only her father's orders superseded the Shinra Princess. "Miss Gainsborough if you will follow me."

Aeris was unsure but Anna nodded. "I just need to talk to Cloud for a bit. I'll join you shortly. Oh...and don't be shocked to see Sephiroth. He finally got home last night."

Aeris' eyes went wide as did Cloud. A voice from the next door cell called back. "He's **what**!"

Anna called back. "Tifa, is that you? Are you alright?"

Tifa growled darkly, "That bastard is alive?! Fuck you Cloud, I'm not keeping this under the lid. That bastard destroyed our town, not a faulty reactor! I'm going to kick his ass!"

Cloud called out just as those words came out of Tifa's lips. "Tifa no!" He turned to Anna. "Don't listen to her Anna. What do you mean Sephiroth is back?"

Anna looked towards Tifa's cell. "He's back. He came home last night. He told me he discovered a new power and he needed to train it or he was afraid he might hurt me or others."

Tifa scoffed, "Yeah right! Why would I take the word of the Shinra Princess? Hell, I doubt those photos your moronic guards tried to show me. There's no way Barret would have done that to anyone!"

"Don't call me that! Why do you guys hate me so much anyway! And Barret did do all of that! Stop denying the truth! Now tell me, what did I do to make all of you hate me!" Anna shouted. She couldn't take it anymore.

A scoffing noise came from Tifa's mouth. "Why should I listen to you Princess? You just run to daddy when you need money. He gave you everything while others had to scrimp and save to have a life, but they will never reach the heights you got to without even trying! Just as you refuse to show me these pictures are real. Stupid princess, believing that your father told you the truth on Sephiroth's history. On what happened to my hometown!"

"Of course I believe my father. My father wouldn't lie to me. And I'm the bad guy because I have money? That's stupid...money isn't everything. Sephiroth and I share a small apartment where we can raise our son. And what does your hometown have to do with me! I've never seen your hometown." Anna shouted. "Now how about giving me a valid reason to hate me?"

Tifa screamed angrily, "Because you have a child with a murderer! He slaughtered my father, most of the villagers of Nibelheim! And because you're sitting there, profiting from the slow murder of our world!"

Cloud shouted. "Tifa stop! She didn't know! Is her child responsible for him? Is she?" Cloud didn't like Sephiroth but he would not allow his friend to be blamed.

"Cloud why are you defending her! Do you have some sort of crush on this rich bitch!" Tifa retorted.

Anna was standing there in shock, unable to speak at the accusations. She stood there for a full three minutes before an arm settled around her.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud started in shock at the sudden appearance of the man he hated.

Anna didn't look. "Is it true? Did you do what she says you did?"

Sephiroth frowned, "When I said I lost control of the power I had found in myself… It had been at Nibelheim. Unfortunately, many died. Nothing will change that, and I can only bear whatever hatred they have for me because of it." He then forced his voice to go louder. "But I will not tolerate you misdirecting your hate for me onto my wife. She is innocent of all of this mess. Am I understood Cloud? Ms. Lockhart?"

Anna turned back to look at him. "Why didn't you tell me this before? And Cloud is the one who's been defending me. Don't be angry at him."

Cloud glared at Sephiroth. "Did you tell her about Jenova? Or were you saving that surprise too?"

Hearing what obviously sounded like a woman's name, Anna's eyes went wide. "Jenova? Who?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "I haven't gotten that far yet Cloud. I only got home yesterday to find my wife in tears, nearly being killed. I find out that I have a son and her best friend had been brutalized. Speaking about what happened in the past when it can't be changed wasn't a necessity at that moment. Now as for who Jenova is… She… she saved me. She took me to the northern crater where I healed and trained to control my powers so that it might never go out of control again. So remember that well Cloud. I've lived with the guilt on my conscience for five years. Now how long were you with Avalanche? Every day you're not cleared of the guilt of the young woman they had to save."

Cloud stared down his former commanding officer. On the other side of the wall, Tifa shouted. "Barret would never hurt anyone! He's a...good man! He's trying to save this planet from being destroyed by Shinra's mako reactors."

"Tifa, shut up! Sephiroth's right in this case. We have no right to hold Anna or even Airlia responsible for what he did." Cloud declared.

While Tifa wasn't visible, they could assume she was glowering while she tried to defend Barret. "I am not holding her responsible for what happened in Nibelheim, only that she's profiting from the death of the planet itself! And I still say that they're lying! I want to see these 'injuries' for myself!"

Anna grabbed her own master keycard and swiped it, opening Tifa's cell. "I will have a guard escort you to see her. And you _will_ apologize to her for ignoring the abuse! And then, that same guard will escort you to Junon to see the Hydro-Plant. Will that convince you?"

Tifa nodded, "Yes. Then I will apologize to her, and that would convince me. But only if you promise to eventually convert everyone away from mako."

Anna nodded, "Well if you notice, our personnel here don't personally use materia. It's crystal mako. We have some on hand, of course, for emergency situations. Airlia was one of them. I was told that earlier today a simple movement tore a stitch so they had to use it to try and close the wound to allow the stitches take hold and hopefully not tear again. Nevermind the fact the only reason she seems to be alive, according to Dr. Hojo, is that Airlia sustained abuse for so long, it actually formed protective scarring inside her - almost like a bullet proof vest of scar. That takes _years_ to develop."

Tifa hid her pale face as she turned to the guard. "When you're ready."

Anna pulled out her cell phone. "Yes Security. I need three guards up to the 67th Floor. Send Tseng as well." She put her phone away. "I hope you understand I must protect her. My brother as well, who is currently with her. Now, as for your bullshit reasons earlier, I never asked for my wealth. All I ever asked for was for a mother and a father, a warm bed to sleep in, and a hot meal in my stomach. I've dealt with bullying all of my childhood because I happened to be adopted by the richest family in the world. Should I have turned him down?"

Sephiroth put his arms around his wife, comforting her. "Any answer Miss Lockhart?"

Tifa somehow found herself speechless as she remained still. Before long, the guards arrived with Tseng as they looked questioningly at Anna. "What is the matter Ms. Annaliese?"

"Miss Lockhart requests permission to visit Miss Marchand. She wishes to extend her deepest, most sincerest apologies," she looked at Tifa. "Don't you Miss Lockhart?"

Tifa frowned, "Yes. I owe her my apologies for believing Barret about her status. I want to hear her story from her lips for myself though. I want to see these injuries for myself, not through pictures."

"And then she wants to visit both the Junon Hydro-Plant, Costa Del Sol's solar panels and the Rocket Town Wind Plant, to confirm for herself what I have told her regarding the future of energy where Shinra is involved," She explained.

Tseng nodded. He could tell by her tone that this was meant as a punishment more than granting a simple request. He knew her well enough to tell that clearly Miss Lockhart had a issued a challenge and Anna had risen to it. He ignored Sephiroth, having heard from the President that Sephiroth had been discharged. "Come Miss Lockhart. I hope you don't mind me warning you that if you try and harm Young Master Shinra or the Marchands, I shoot first and ask questions later."

Tifa nodded as she followed the lead guard while Tseng remained behind her - to watch her every move as they proceeded to the apartment the Marchands had near the medical ward. When they arrived, the guard knocked on the door. Maeve opened it just a little and saw the guard. "What is it Robert?" She then saw the woman amongst them and frowned deeply. "What the hell is she doing here?"

Tseng knew that Maeve would have been aware of Airlia's rescue in it's entirety. "Ms. Lockhart wishes to extend her apologies to Airlia after hearing her entire story. She also wishes to see the …" He couldn't bring himself to try and say … _the marks from the hell she endured…_

Maeve however was perceptive enough to know what it was as she pushed greying strands out of her face. "She has no right to see my daughter like that. She can hear the story, but not see the abuse marks."

However, Airlia's voice called out. "Mother, who wishes to see me?"

Maeve turned to her daughter and frowned. "Ms. Lockhart."

Airlia nodded, "She can come in. She should see what she did by doing nothing." Rufus masked his surprise. He knew which stage she was moving into. _Rage_. He wanted to laugh, because he knew the stories of Tifa Lockhart. Toughest bitch in Midgar was the rumor, but she was going to face something far worse.

Tifa was ushered in with the guards and the Turk who kept his eyes to the woman before him. Airlia explained every detail, leaving out the parts that were from the nightmare. After all that had to only be a nightmare. _Right?_

Tifa balked as she sat down while Airlia stood with Rufus nearby to assist her should she need it. When the time came, Airlia raised the hem of her shirt and showed her the abdomen as the guards had to stifle their shock and horror that one person could survive. She turned slowly as the busty brunette observed actual boot prints on the young woman's back. Rufus helped to hold the shirt when her fingers grazed painful spots. He wanted to will the pain away, to will the agony away from this dear woman. When it was done, cold sapphire blue eyes turned to the brunette as the young Shinra coldly demanded, "So what say you now Tifa? What do you say to this woman who endured six years of hell? She didn't have to tell me that she was beaten into not talking, not lifting her head. Anyone looking at her would know this is true." He looked at his uneasy lady and helped her to recline against the bed, angled to make it easier for her to rest.

Tifa saw the small unicorn that was sitting in the corner. "How old was she when she was grabbed?"

Maeve had to try and not cry, she had spent too many tears on the loss and recovery of her daughter. Airlia needed the people around her to be strong while she recovered. "Fifteen years old."

Tseng's fist clenched tightly. He promised himself he was going to deal with sector seven in the end game plan that day. That would be the true first step to healing for this young lady, for this family to heal.

* * *

Sephiroth couldn't look at either Anna or Cloud. "I don't know what I can say. There's nothing I can do to change what I've done Cloud. I'm working to make sure it never happens again. I've already resigned my commission. I gave the Masamune to President Shinra and I am now unarmed."

Anna gasped. "You gave Father your sword. I got that for you!" Had he forgotten her gift to him.

"Yes, my darling, I know. But I wanted to be unarmed, just in case." He forced himself to look at Cloud. "I understand if you can never forgive me. I still can't forgive myself. Come my darling, I do believe you have a guest and I must see Dr Hojo on the President's orders."

Anna nodded shortly and went to hug Cloud. "I am sorry, I didn't know but...I believe him when he says he didn't mean for it to happen. And surely you trust me."

Cloud didn't know what to say as Anna left. Before Sephiroth followed, the man turned back. "I know you saved her life. I do need to thank you for that"

* * *

Sephiroth put his hand on his head as he heard a voice in his head. _"Son, where are you? You promised to return directly after finding her safe?"_

"_Mother, I can't come back yet. Yes she's safe. But…" he stammered. "I have a son. She thought I was dead for five years. I can't come back yet."_

_Jenova's voice was urgent. "Son you must return. Your training is not yet finished. The Cetra will be rising soon. You must return."_

"_Mother it's not my job to save the world! That's part of what led me to go crazy five years ago!" Sephiroth fairly shouted at her. "I have priorities. I must see to them before I can come back! I'm sorry!"_

"_Sephiroth, if you don't…" Jenova trailed off._

"_Mother, I have an idea, why don't you come here? You can meet my wife and your grandson," Sephiroth suggested. "Then once everything is settled down here, I will go with you."_

_Jenova sighed. "Son...you really should come back here."_

"_Mother, you can help me control my powers. So you can help me here. I can't leave my wife after so long."_

The pain in his head cut off as she broke the connection. Eventually, that pain would go away once he learned to recognize the signal of coming communications between them. He was still learning that part however.

"Sephiroth," A familiar voice called to him. Sternness colored the tone and Sephiroth knew he was about to be scolded again for disappearing.

"Professor Hojo, please, I've already been scolded by my wife, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, almost everyone, I really don't need it from you," Sephiroth told the scientist, only for a hand to connect with his cheek.

"Now get this brat, I raised your sorry ass. You're never too old for me to turn over my knee," Hojo warned him. "What if you'd become ill! What if you didn't have the medicines I'd devised specifically to help your sensitive constitution! I was worried sick!" He grabbed the man by the ear and dragged him over to an exam table. "Sit!"

Sephiroth sat and looked at the containment unit across from him, containing a big red lion. "What's that?"

"That, if you must know, is your son's birthday present. Every little boy needs a pet. I thought a cat would do him well and the creature would make a good bodyguard," Hojo explained while he grabbed his gear. "Now hush while I look you over."

* * *

Tifa walked back out with the guards while Rufus looked longingly at the young woman who was struggling to heal. Every time she described a blow to her body, he felt his heart clench. He went over to get her nightly medicine. Returning to her side, he helped her with the dosage. He brought the unicorn to her hands, seeing her eyes go to it as the medicine quickly started to render her asleep. She had gotten to confront one of her tormentors. And yet, as her eyes closed in slumber, he knew she had withheld something big from her talks. Something dark and frightening. He kissed her forehead as he brought the blanket around her lap.

Turning to Maeve and Arnold he gave a half bow. "I'll be back in the morning. I just want to make sure she takes it easy…"

The parents gave him a half smile, "We know there's more there. It's okay to be honest with us sir."

Rufus shook his head as he raked a hand through his hair. "I want it to be at her pace. She cared for me beyond my name, Arnold. She cared for my sister regardless that she was a Shinra. Others have only been after my family's wealth, or possibly physical appearance. But none have seeked to know my family as they truly are."

Maeve smiled with a nod. "We both appreciate that you're going at her pace. I don't care what others say, she is the first and foremost victim of this crazy battle between this company and those… creatures."

Rufus nodded as his mind drifted to his friend that had been caught up in the mess too. He had to find out what the spiky blond haired man had been thinking.

* * *

As ordered, Aeris was now being waited on hand and foot in the Sephiroth Family Apartment. She had been astonished to hear from her friend that Sephiroth was alive. What did it mean? Did it have anything to do with the strange feelings inside her.

Anna entered the apartment with her husband in tow. Her son was playing with Marlene in the Shinra Daycare. As much as he wanted to be with his daddy, Anna knew he needed interaction with other children. "I'm sorry about the confusion Aeris. It was a pretty hectic time."

Aeris nodded in agreement. "It was. What happened? Why did you and Cloud come literally crashing through the church roof?"

"Darling?" Sephiroth asked startled at the question. "I'd like to know that too."

Anna hadn't yet told her husband of her "adventures" in Sector Seven. "To make a long story really short, in attempt at diplomacy I ended up the hostage of Avalanche. Cloud saved my life when without him I would surely have died."

Sephiroth realized his feelings of danger were correct. "Well no more playing diplomat, my dear."

"Only if you promise no more half truths like last night," she warned him. Wisely, Aeris stayed out of their discussion. "Don't hide things from me just because you think I won't approve. No, I don't like what you did but I know you would never hurt anyone without a really good reason."

Sephiroth nodded. "I promise."

Anna accepted his promise and wrapped her arms around him. "Now, we have a guest. Were they good to you this time Aeris?" Anna turned her attentions to her friend.

Aeris nodded nervously. "Yeah, though Mom is going to be really worried about me. Message or not. So I really should be going soon. Besides, I don't want to get in the way of your...reunion."

"Nonsense," Anna declared. She sat at the kitchen table with Aeris. Sephiroth was about to join her when he felt that pain in hit his head again.

"_Mother?" He asked._

"_I've come as you've suggested my boy," Jenova stated. "Come down to the lobby and greet your mother properly."_

The connection broke abruptly and Sephiroth looked at his wife. "Darling, I'll be right back. I have someone to introduce you to."

* * *

While Airlia slept, Rufus made his way to the cell block. "I need to see the other man that you brought in. Cloud Strife."

The guards looked torn as Rufus raked a hand through his hair. "Look, he isn't going to hurt me. I'm armed and you're both here. I need to speak with him about his involvement with Avalanche."

They nodded before parting ways to let him through. Using his master keycard, he opened the cell door. "Cloud. We need to talk."

The spiky blond haired soldier nodded. "Yes, we do."

Rufus came in and sat opposite of the cot Cloud was on. "May I ask something, then you answer and if you have a question, you can ask me?"

Cloud shrugged, "Sure, seems fair to me."

Rufus nodded, "So Cloud. How long were you involved in Avalanche?"

The blue mako eyed man sighed. "Since about a month ago, but to clarify on it, I was ill from mako poisoning for the first three weeks. Then after almost a week I hadn't been to Seventh Heaven, their headquarters. But almost immediately I was shuffled off to the first reactor. My turn. Why is Sephiroth still alive? I saw him die."

Rufus shook his head. "All I understand about that is Jenova helped him to the northern crater where he spent the last many years recovering and training so that he might not lose his control again. My turn. What happened when you met Airlia?"

Cloud shook his head. "I only met her really when we came back after destroying the reactor. I saw her briefly, but it wasn't enough to really see her. Then when Anna came and wanted the release of prisoners of war, that's when I put my foot down. I didn't know they had anyone as a prisoner. Barret took your sister prisoner, and I followed because I wanted to protect her. To get her to safety. My turn. Can you show me pictures of Airlia's injuries? While I didn't do them, I want to make amends."

Rufus nodded and pulled the worn packet he kept with him at all times. It was the symbol of his failure. He handed the packet over to Cloud. "These only go over the recent injuries she had gotten from them. But there's definite signs of long term beatings."

Cloud leafed through the packet, gaping at the wounds as he tried to wrap his head around that one woman could survive it. Rufus voiced what he knew, "I suspect they used healing materia in between so that she might endure the brutality for so long. To prevent her from dying so that they could punish her for their shortcomings anytime they wished. A living punching bag."

Cloud handed him the packet, "I want to offer you my services as a mercenary. To protect you both. If I had seen her injuries, I would have gotten her out myself."

Rufus considered it. He only destroyed one reactor… And it was one he was going to shut down anyways because of problems in the actual reactor. No one died thanks to his lady's selfless efforts. The man had also saved his sister and went willingly with Reno. "I will consider it. I have to ask her if she's okay with it. Because you were among her captors. Tifa didn't know, but she allowed her long time hatred for Sephiroth to transfer to Shinra. She allowed it to blind her to what was going on under her nose."

Cloud nodded, "Right. and she will understand it one day Rufus. I promise that. She's just hurt because the murder of her father, of many of the villagers of Nibelheim were slaughtered."

Rufus nodded, "Right. It's basically an untreated case of PTSD. She'll come around, and when it does, I won't force her to serve a sentence. Having that disorder makes her mentally unstable - and as such can't be held liable for her actions. So long as she didn't lay a hand on Airlia, I can look the other way. I just want her to get some help, mentally speaking."

Cloud nodded. "So do I. She was my best friend growing up in Nibelheim." Cloud was silent. "What about Sephiroth? Is he...will he be...you know...for Nibelheim?"

Rufus looked hard at Cloud. "Typically for something like this...but Father can hardly do that. Not without hurting my sister and my nephew. He's trying to find something that will satisfy all avenues. Especially since I believe him when he says he was not in control that day. You remember what he was like before Cloud? Would he ever willingly kill innocent people?"

Cloud thought about the man he once knew. He remembered the look of concern when the boy had appeared in training class that first day. He had lied about his age on his application and Sephiroth had known it. The man had later called him into his office and said that as long as he passed a rudimentary physical test then he could stay. It was simple things that a boy of the correct age should be able to do. He'd passed but only just. The man honored his promise. Later he'd become acquainted with Zack and Rufus and Anna. They all thought the world of Sephiroth and he wanted to know him the way they did. Zack gladly invited Cloud into the fold and together the four young men had wrought all kinds of mischief on the academy.

"No...he wouldn't," Cloud admitted. "It's just so unfair. He was my hero and he...he killed my mother."

"He's still human Cloud. Allow him his mistakes. He's hurting from this too. Now, tell me about Reactor 5."

The ex-SOLDIER explained all of the events that he was aware of from before the situation went out of control, to crashing into the church in sector five. "I shielded her from the impact of the fall. I couldn't let her be hurt. I'm sorry I ever got involved with Avalanche."

Rufus stood. "I have other work that must be done. You will need to stay in holding a little longer but I'm going to discuss this with Airlia. If what she tells me checks out then I may be able to release you."

Cloud nodded and the guard escorted Rufus away. The door shut and he sat back on the cot.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been incredibly tired and overworked. But I'm back for once a week updates for the Final Fantasy fanfictions. Please review.


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